Ambulance firm told to improve

Eddymed founder Edward Cresswell has been warned he could face legal action if he does not sort problems at the Ilkeston firm.

Published:11:46Friday 24 August 2012

All but two staff at a private ambulance firm in Ilkeston had current criminal record checks in place, a healthcare watchdog has reported.

Eddymed, in the Crompton Road Industrial Estate, was given two to three months to sort out the issue and other problems found during an unannounced visit by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in July.

Inspectors formally warned owner Edward Cresswell that he could face legal action if the issues were not put right.

But he has now said that all the issues have been addressed.

“We had nine jobs on the day the commission came to inspect us,” he said.

“And I think the whole company is feeling a bit let down by this reaction to our work.

“But there is nothing that has absolutely shocked us that we didn’t have or weren’t already putting into place.”

The report said that Mr Creswell, 28, could not tell inspectors how many of the 15 staff without relevant CRB checks had completed application forms.

They found that Mr Cresswell had not been carrying out audits or risk assesments and did not keep records of what training staff had.

Deputy director of operations at CQC Andrea Gordon said: “The law says these are the standards that everyone should be able to expect. Providers have a duty to ensure they are compliant

“This warning sends a clear message that the owner of Eddymed Ambulance Service needs to address this issue or face further consequences.”

Mr Cresswell said: “We’ve just taken on new staff so we were aware of CRB issues but these have now been sent off.

“We have booked our staff on training courses and we have found the audits which were required. We’ve also spent £1,000 on restocking our ambulances so everything is either already in place or being sorted.”